Deception

Deceptive site warning

I just tried to pull up my blog to write a new post and this is what greeted me. WTF? I took a screen shot so I could show everybody, but I expect that most people who are greeted with this warning will not come in so they won't see it. So I guess this is just here to document this glitch in the matrix. Hopefully, it will be straightened out directly.

And here I was just thinking that the Colonial pipeline people should have entrusted their data to Google. I don't know whether that would help, because they need computer systems connected to their control and monitoring points all up and down the length of the pipeline, and the microcontrollers at those points are not going to be under Google's control.

The bad guy's standard mode of attack is to slide a virus into their victim's machine where it proceeds to encrypt everything on their hard disk. Attacking microcontrollers is going to be an order of magnitude more difficult, mostly because you are going to need a specific method of attack for that system. The standard mode works on any Windows computer, and there are zillions of them. There are zillions of microcontrollers out there, but most of them aren't connected to the internet, and most of those don't have much potential for generating a big payout. First rule of crime is to go for the big, easy, scores.

This whole thing reminds me of houses. When people first started building houses, nobody was too concerned about locking the doors. It was just so great to have shelter, people weren't too worried about theft. Shoot, theft hadn't even been invented. But then we got more houses and more people and people started collecting things and then we got theft and then somebody said I want a lock and now we have an entire security empire devoted to keeping you locked up.

The evolution of computer security is following the same path. At first there was none because why would you need it? Then people found out what computers could do and some people started clamoring to use them and since they were expensive they started restricting access, which led to passwords. Then the personal computer came along and then they took over the world and security was left in the dust. 

We could make computers secure, but it's a problem akin to going around to every house in the world and fitting it with new door locks. Yes, the whiz kids probably have some cute tricks that could make it go faster, but we still have to come up with a scheme that would work and that all the players could agree on.

I thought of the title for this post before I started writing, and that word immediately reminded me of this song.

The Fixx - One Thing Leads To Another (Bing Lounge)
101.9 KINK.FM

I've posted this song before. This recording was done in 2012 here in Portland. They look much older. The band has been together since 1979 and are still performing together, which is some kind of modern miracle. Not too many bands like that.